Licence holder meaning

Licence holder meaning in plain English

Under the Gambling Act 2005, anyone offering remote gambling to people in Britain needs an operating licence from the Gambling Commission. That licence is issued to a company, and that company is the licence holder. It is identified by its registered name and a Commission account number, and it carries the legal duties that come with the licence: following the licence conditions and codes of practice, handling complaints, protecting customer funds as declared, and verifying age.

The brand you sign up to is a trading name. 'Coral' is a trading name; the licence holder is LC International Limited. 'PlayOJO' is a trading name; the licence holder is Skill On Net Limited. In most cases the licence holder and the operator are usually the same company, although the two words are used slightly differently, as the operator entry explains.

Individuals can hold licences too. Senior staff in key roles need a Personal Management Licence, but when people talk about a casino's licence holder they mean the company with the operating licence.

How licence holders, brands and domains fit together

One licence holder can run several brands, each with its own website or app. The public register entry for LC International Limited (opens in a new tab) lists trading names including Coral, Ladbrokes, Gala, Foxy and Party. The register's domain list for Skill On Net Limited (opens in a new tab) includes playojo.com and spingenie.co.uk, along with domains marked as white label.

A white label casino is a brand run under someone else's licence: a marketing company owns the name and the licence holder runs the platform, payments and compliance. That is why two very different-looking sites can share one account number, and why sister sites often share terms and support teams.

Example: one licence holder, two accounts, one set of rules

Imagine you open accounts at Coral and Ladbrokes. They look like separate casinos, but both sit with LC International Limited. In practice that means the same company is responsible for both accounts, which is why Coral's and Ladbrokes' welcome terms may stop one person claiming new-customer offers at both. It also means a self-exclusion with that business may cover both brands, and complaints about either go through the same licence holder's complaints process and its named ADR provider.

Money shows the point too. Say you hold £60 at one brand and £40 at the other. The fund protection rating that applies is the one the licence holder declares in its terms, not something set per brand. Our page on player funds protection explains the three ratings.

Why the licence holder matters to you

• Legitimacy: a real UK licence holder appears on the register with an active status; a site that names none, or names one you can't find, is a warning sign.
• Complaints: you complain to the licence holder first; after 8 weeks without a resolution, it must offer referral to its ADR provider (see complaints and ADR).
• Track record: fines and settlements are published against the licence holder, not the brand.
• Multiple accounts: offers often limit one claim per person across a licence holder's brands.
• Closure: if a brand shuts, the licence holder remains responsible for balances, as our guide on when a casino closes explains.

How to find a casino's licence holder

The site footer should name the licence holder and its account number; our guide to reading the footer shows where to look. Footers can be out of date or show an overseas licence, so confirm on the Gambling Commission public register (opens in a new tab), which lets you search by business name, trading name, domain or account number. The register shows status (active, suspended, revoked, surrendered), licensed activities, trading names, domains and regulatory actions.

The Commission notes that trading and domain names are supplied by businesses themselves, so treat the domain list as strong evidence rather than a guarantee. Our two-minute walkthrough on how to check a casino licence covers each screen, and what is a casino licence number? explains the account number.

The UK rules behind the term

Licensing comes from the Gambling Act 2005, and the Commission's guide to operating licences (opens in a new tab) confirms that remote providers advertising to British consumers need one. A licensed company need not be incorporated in the UK (many are in Gibraltar, Malta or Cyprus) but it must have a UK address for service. Details of the specific licence type are on our remote casino licence page, and what does UKGC licensed mean? covers what a licence does and does not promise.

Related terms

See operator for the business running the site, aggregator for the companies that supply games to licence holders, and our profiles of UK casino brands for licence holders behind brands we don't partner with. The full list is in the casino glossary.

Where to play: partner brands with checkable licence holders

Both brands below are listed on the register with active remote casino licences. Coral is run by LC International Limited (account 54743, part of Entain); PlayOJO by Skill On Net Limited (account 39326). More detail is on our Coral sister sites page.

Current welcome offers (18+, terms apply, checked 5 October 2026). Coral: new players who deposit and bet £10 or more on slots get 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, to accept within 48 hours and use within 7 days, with no wagering on winnings; deposits by PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify. PlayOJO: new UK customers outside Northern Ireland get 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza at 10p each with a first deposit of at least £10, and spin winnings are paid as cash with no wagering. Because Coral and Ladbrokes share a licence holder, check the terms before trying to claim at both.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set deposit limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.